Olympians and World Championship contenders highlight Canadian Chiba Ekiden Team

OTTAWA – Athletics Canada named today the eight athletes who will travel to Chiba City in Japan for the 2013 Chiba Ekiden Race on November 23. The event is a mixed gender race where men and women alternate legs to cover the marathon distance of 42.195-kilometres. The race comprises of a men’s 5km, women’s 5km, men’s 10km, women’s 5km men’s 10km and finally a women’s 7.195km.

Canada’s male competitors are Alex Genest of Lac-aux-Sables, Que., Chris Winter of Vancouver, B.C., and Dylan Wykes of Kingston, Ont. Both Genest and Winter competed in Moscow this summer at the IAAF World Championships in the 3000-metres steeplechase. Genest and Wykes competed in the 2012 Olympic Games in the steeplechase and marathon respectively. Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, Ont., also a 2012 Olympian and the reigning Canadian champion over 10-kilometres, will serve as the male alternate.

Lanni Marchant of London, Ont., Sheila Reid of Newmarket, Ont., and Nicole Sifuentes of Winnipeg, Man., lead the way for the women. All three were members of the 2013 World Championship team in the marathon (Marchant) and 1500-metres (Reid and Sifuentes). Reid and Sifuentes also represented Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games in the 1500-metres. Marchant is coming off a national title in the 10-kilometres and a Canadian record in the marathon. Andrea Seccafien of Guelph, Ont., serves as the women’s alternate.